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Dangerous Challenges

Problem:
As the internet and social media expand their influence on people, various challenges have arose. Some of these challenges like the ALS ice bucket challenge are light hearted and raise awareness about issues around the world. However, other challenges are dangerous in nature and might lead to people causing harm to themselves or even the people around them. Even worse, there have been recorded cases of death because of these challenges.

Solution:
Get help from governing bodies or influencers to warn the public or inform them about the dangers of such challenges. By doing so, people can have better knowledge of the level of danger some of these challenges possess and hopefully discourage them from trying in the first place.

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When in 2012 Tide Pods launched, these jokes about people eating them existed - but in small niches and never spoken about publicly because admittedly it is very weird. For a few years this persisted until the Onion wrote a piece in late 2015 about a child vowing to eat Tide Pods, titled: So Help Me God, I’m Going To Eat One Of Those Multicolored Detergent Pods. This, as far as I can tell, was the first major public point of acknowledgment that Tide Pod eating is a thought in many people’s minds.

This allowed the idea to kind of come alive on the internet and many small groups started joking about eating Tide Pods, particularly on Twitter and Tumblr. In mid 2017 CollegeHumor made a video about the same topic

This bled over into YouTube, where challenge videos have become a weird trope of doing the craziest thing to get views. A small YouTuber realized that there was an opportunity to capitalize on this trend by actually eating Tide Pods (though I think this was ironically) and on January 7th, 2018 TheAaronSwan669 [3] made the first version of the Tide Pod Challenge. This gained a bit of traction and other YouTubers started joining the trend and doing the Tide Pod Challenge. Many of these YouTubers have audiences that are kids/teenagers who I think did not get the ironic nature of this trend and the fact that YouTubers were doing this for views - and decided to do the Tide Pod Challenge themselves at home. This was where the challenge really went mainstream when news outlets were picking up on the trend (as some kids did go to the hospital because of this, though I’m pretty sure the number is not as large as morning shows make it out to be).

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Food wastage

Problem:
In Singapore and the world, 809,800 tonnes of food was wasted in 2017 (National Environment Agency).
This translates to more than two bowls of rice per person a day.
In Singapore, most food waste is incinerated and then landfilled. As most foods have high water content, burning food requires greater amounts of energy than burning general waste.
When we waste food, we also waste resources utilised to grow the food such as energy and water.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, one-third of the world's food is wasted from farm to table and that if food waste was a country, it would be the 3rd largest global greenhouse gas emitter, after US and China.

Solution:
One of the contributing factors to food waste that has not been widely explored and discussed: Cosmetic Filtering.

It is proven that ugly food taste just as good as perfect-looking food and is as nutritious. Thus, with tireless experimentation and several iterations, a series of intricately-designed and mouth-watering food products is born!

UglyFood:
UglyFood approaches and establishes relationships with stakeholders such as wholesalers, importer, distributors and wet market stall owners to gather fresh produce that would otherwise be wasted.
They then divert the fresh produce away from the incineration plants and the landfill by transforming them into healthy and delectable food products. They offer their products in SUTD and at pop-up events like Farmers’ Markets and private events.

UglyFood are also currently piloting their ‘Subscription Model’ in co-working spaces and office pantries.

https://www.uglyfood.com.sg/about-us

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Do you have any Clue?

Going on a trip? Attending an adventure camp? Are you ladies afraid that it might might clash with your period? Clue might just be the thing you need for your monthly mother nature!

It's difficult for women to predict their period due to various reasons and it is hard to calculate as well as not everyone's period cycle is 28 days.

Clue is design to helps you predict your period based on your monthly information, to help you better prepare yourself for the monthly madness.

Launched in 2013 by the former motorcycle guide from Denmark, Clue is a user-friendly free app rated top by U.S. journal Obstetrics and Gynecology for accuracy and has 31 different tracking categories, from pain level and PMS to exercise and sleep. Its 10 million active users around the world have also given the company the largest data set on menstruation in existence.

Clue has other features such as noting down symptoms before your period, other factors that might affect your period such as medications. It encourages women all around the world to note down little things in their daily life, just like a diary but for your menstrual cycle and your well-being.

Over the years, Clue has improved to not only serve its purpose of menstrual cycle and period calculation but to educate on developments and growth of a women. They have their very only readers and sharing section, where articles are posted regularly to advocate to young ladies who uses the app. How to better prepare for pregnancy and esquires that one might have regarding their ladies issues.

No doubt it has helped many ladies around the world and continue to improve the life of many.

https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/04/period-app-clue-hopes-to-predict-if-you-have-pcos/

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Nintendo

Problem:
Gamers are compromised of performance when playing on handheld consoles such as a smart phone, or old technologies such as gameboys,psp and ect. With the limited small device, it is hard to compare it to a gaming computer or even a PS4 due to the limited amount of space and tech that you can shove into the size of these handheld consoles. Making the games on handheld consoles only being able to play casual games and when faced with big games such as Call Of Duty or PUBG, the controls are hard to get used to and get in the way of viewing the screen.

Solution:
But then the Kyoto, Japan-based company responded last year with its Nintendo Switch, an innovative hybrid console/mobile system that lets owners play games at home on the big screen—or on the go. The Switch offers a far better mobile gaming experience than a smartphone, and thanks in part to well-received titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and the new Mario Tennis Aces, sales are booming. Nintendo said earlier this year it’s now the fastest-selling console in history, dethroning the company’s original Wii by shipping 4.8 million units in its first 10 months. “People have clearly responded to our idea of a home system you can play together, anytime you like, anywhere you go,” says Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aimé. By succeeding despite the ubiquity of smartphones, Nintendo’s Switch proves there’s still an appetite for great mobile gaming systems. —Alex Fitzpatrick

This proves that there is indeed a solution out there that does not compromise performance for size and portability.

https://time.com/collection/genius-companies-2018/5412642/nintendo/

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Ugly Produce

Problem:
One of the most popularly cited problems is the amount of produce that goes entirely unconsumed in the developed world.
Ugly produce, misfit fruits, misshapen vegetables, and delicious but odd-sized produce are squandered at every level.

Solution:
To combat that, a new class of for-profit start-ups has emerged: ugly-produce boxes. Companies like Misfits Market, Imperfect Produce, and Hungry Harvest aim to fill the logistical gaps and provide new markets for growers by buying up farmers’ “ugly” or excess produce and shipping it directly to your doorstep, often by subscription.

MISFITS MARKET:
Misfits Market source fresh organic produce that farms and stores can’t sell. Customers choose their box size and delivery frequency. Misfits Market deliver a box of produce straight to the customers' doors.

https://www.misfitsmarket.com/pages/about-us

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/01/ugly-produce-startups-food-waste/581182/

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Reframing masculinity

Problem:
When it comes to this world everything is ever changing, and people have to change with it, however many people especially the elderly people or the older generation to be specific,  one very crucial point that i realised that they constantly then to pin point is the attire, or the way they dress, they're reasoning could be like 'this doesn't look manly' or 'guys can't wear pink or bright colors' which brings me to the point where i feel that clothing plays a big role in creating the social standards that these people basically worship so much and harp on.

Solution:
When it comes to making people feel more comfortable with such change, one would say try a social group but i feel that social groups have been been there done that and it doesn't help if it targets that small social group or if the traditional parties do not want to cooperate. Personally i feel that clothing stores or designers have a part to play, its these clothing stores that generalise gender norms so i believe that if the lines between gender clothing can be blurred slowly the social norms will change with it, then there would'nt be guys or guys or girls clothes, it would just be clothes, genderless bring the norms to a balance

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Sustainability in consumer fashion
It is no secret that fast fashion has negative effects on the environment and planet. Cheaply manufacturing a gargantuan amount of clothing has disastrous consequences as a large amount of water has to be used in the manufacturing process and workers are often paid minimum wage in developing countries to keep costs low. With many among us purchasing clothes from big name retailers, it is in our best interest to shop from businesses that have the planets interest in mind too.

Enter retailers and brands such as Uniqlo and Patagonia. With a commitment to minimising waste and making fashionable, high quality clothing that is practical too, brands such as these are paving the way for other accessible fashion brands to amend their ways to become more sustainable. With a majority of retailers concerned about their bottom line, Uniqlo and Patagonia have proven that it is not only possible, but beneficial to switch to higher quality and more environmentally friendly methods without revenue taking a hit. There's still a long way to go and plenty of progress to be made, but its the start the consumer fashion industry needs.

https://goodonyou.eco/how-ethical-is-patagonia/
https://radicaleverything.wolffolins.com/
https://goodonyou.eco/how-ethical-is-uniqlo/

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Sephora's revolutionary virtual reality makeup

A main problem for makeup enthusiasts and beauty customers worldwide is the issue of not being able to try a makeup product properly before purchasing it. Yes, even though we can try with a make up tester, it is unhygienic and most would find it troublesome having to walk around the store and swatching different products on their hand, especially those with hands full of shopping bags.

The thing about makeup is that its sort off an investment and before you want to invest on something, you usually have to review and try it out for yourself. But with sanitation issues with makeup, it is really difficult for a customer to truly test out the product before purchasing it. Social Media ads and post sure comes handful in influencing the buying of makeup but neither does it allow you to try it for yourself. This makes it a hassle and sort off a gamble for people buying makeup since you will never know whether its good or not unless you try it yourself first-handedly e.g. ( whether a product is long-lasting or suits your skin tone and what not ).

Thus, Sephora has introduced a brand new function in their app which allows people to try on Sephora’s makeup products at their own convenience. This not only tackles the inconvenience of having to go out specifically just to try on your makeup, it also avoids the risk of passing germs and sharing products with others. Furthermore, there is no more fear of worrying in investing on a makeup product for you will know how it looks on you!

Even though this is not a fully perfect function yet, it is a start of something new in the beauty and AR industry and it helps create a new innovation and revolution. It’s convenience in accessibility, hygienic and empowers makeup users to have confidence in the products and on how it looks on them. If the face recognition function is further developed and improved, this will help end the stigma of makeup consumers being afraid and troubled by makeup products.

https://www.sephora.sg/pages/virtual-artist https://www.retaildive.com/ex/mobilecommercedaily/sephoras-virtual-artist-brings-augmented-reality-to-larger-beauty-audience

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Virtual Reality(VR) in Healthcare

Overview : From developing new life-saving techniques to training future doctors, VR offer more opportunities in the healthcare sector. Virtual Reality can be used to train and support healthcare professionals, change lives and heal patients.

1) Surgical training

VR allows medical students to learn on cadavers - which is difficult to acquire because it does not react the same way as a real patient would. With VR, students will get to see a 360 degree view of a body and able to replicate surgical procedures. For example, Medical Realities has developed such software to improve the current surgical training.

2) Mental health and Psychological Therapy

With VR, it can create simulations where it can replicate scenarios in which psychological difficulties occur.  This way, the patient do not have to reply on its therapist. The in-situ coaching that is effective for many disorders can now be delivered in the consulting room, with the simulations graded in difficulty and repeated as often as necessary.

https://visualise.com/virtual-reality/virtual-reality-healthcare

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Impossible Foods

Problem: Rising meat consumption is set to be one of the biggest contributors to Global Warming.  With more demand for red meat especially, there needs to be more land available to cultivate cows, which leads to the burning of forests to clear land to make way for these developments. This leaves the land to be infertile and barren, causing it to be unable to sustain plant life. Furthermore, animals grazing these lands also contribute to producing carbon emissions through their waste and farts. Although the amount of methane that comes from these waste are insignificant per cow, however when there are millions of them, it causes the numbers for carbon emissions to be sky high. Animal grazing also takes up much of the world's arable land which in turn affects agriculture and the environment.

Solution: Stanford Biochemist Pat Brown has the solution to help combat this problem. For those who crave meat but still want to play a part in fighting climate change, they don’t have to sacrifice meat or dairy anymore. With Impossible Foods, which is made from engineering a plant-based substitute using heme(a component of an oxygen carrying molecule that is also present in blood), Brown was able to replicate meat without actually slaughtering an animal, thus saving land space, feed, amount of time needed to rear an animal, which all reduces carbon emission. It also does taste like meat too, as the use of heme replicates the characteristics of beef. The crispiness, juiciness, and the tenderness of the meat is still there, however it is derived purely from plants. And it seems to have worked like magic because restaurants all over the world are now including it in their menus; $30 vegan cheeseburger at Hong Kong's Grand Hyatt hotel, the Impossible Burger at Swensens outlets. It is clear that businesses see this as an opportunity to not only reduce their own carbon footprint, but also appeal to a generation of youths that are increasingly concerned about social issues, climate change being one of the biggest problems that is going to impact them the most. Regardless of intent, it is clear to see how in times of crisis, people can take it as an opportunity for innovation to make the impossible, possible.

https://time.com/collection/genius-companies-2018/5412506/impossible-foods/
https://impossiblefoods.com/

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Fenty Beauty
Broadening Makeup’s Palette

By releasing 40 shades in their very first launch, Fenty Beauty has set the bar high for many other makeup brands when it comes to inclusivity. Rihanna and her Fenty team were praised worldwide for introducing an extensive palette that caters to all makeup lovers regardless of their race and skin tone. Many other makeup brands saw the outstanding success they had and followed right into their footsteps by expanding their shade ranges to show their consumers that their brand are inclusive as well. Thanks to Fenty Beauty, 40 shades of foundation is now an industry standard and makeup lovers all the world are given more options to choose from.

Fenty Beauty is so successful, they reportedly made $100 million in sales within their first 40 days of launching and since then, they have only continued to grow. Compared to other cosmetic companies, Fenty Beauty has not been in the industry for a very long time, however they were able to make it into the list of of Top 10 US Makeup Brands(as of December 2019). This just further proves how well received the brand is.

The biggest take from this is that in order to gain a consumer’s love and trust, they need to feel included and valued by the brand. Consumers tend to stay loyal to a brand because they share the same values or support the same cause; and that is exactly what Fenty Beauty has done by creating makeup for users to feel empowered.

https://www.lvmh.com/houses/perfumes-cosmetics/fenty-beauty-by-rihanna/

https://time.com/collection-post/5412503/fenty-beauty/

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Bumble
Bumble is a social network platform  that allows women to feel empowered while making connections, whether its dating, looking for friends or growing your professional network. Bumble is more than an app, it's a movement that challenges the rules of dating. Especially where bumble is able to address women's concerns about meeting men online. Although Bumble has a competition partner, Tinder, something that Tinder does not have is the women-message-first feature which is special to Bumble.

Shifting old-fashioned power dynamics and encouraging equality from the start. This is more than an app (though it's the main sell) but it is a movement that encourages integrity, kindness, equality, confidence and respect during all stages of relationships.

I feel that relationships are inevitable and the way Bumble has voiced out in empowering women, and challenging the old-fashioned thoughts of gender inequality. Ensuring females today have a platform to voice out, to stand out and to have a voice.
https://bumble.com/en/about

https://time.com/collection/genius-companies-2018/5412126/bumble/

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Microwave Drawer

Don't you get tired of having to put then maneuver your hands into the microwave while carefully reaching for your food inside of it without spillage or getting burns? What is worse is when the machine is placed at a height that is difficult to access.

As someone who uses the microwave to heat up my food from time to time, I know very well how much of a struggle and an inconvenience this flaw poses.

With the latest Microwave Drawer, one can simply pull out the drawer and place their foods before taking it out with ease and safely — even when it is piping hot — when the dish is fully prepared. This creative solution can help rid of the unnecessary problem that most current microwaves have.

It is not a major change, bu I honestly feel that this new fix can help ease the lives of those who use  microwaves, while also preventing common injuries like burns.

https://mymodernmet.com/problems-you-never-knew-existed/

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Duolingo

With people hooked on advanced technology these days, it is easy, if not mandatory for youths and millennials to scroll through social media apps mindlessly, updating themselves of the trends and people around them every minute. Rather than spending hours on end looking at posts of other people, are there ways that people can use this time to do something more beneficial with their life while using their phone at the same time?

This is what Duolingo's founder computer science professor Luis von Ahn asked himself as well and came up with Duolingo, the app that enables one to learn languages with their mobile device. Duolingo enriches and makes one's time on their device more meaningful and fruitful compared to scrolling on social media.

Not only does Duolingo help with enriching one with meaningful time spent on their device, but it also acts as a lifeline for people from other countries to learn and communicate with people from international countries. As such, it has caught my attention as a true creative solution of the world of technology today.

https://time.com/collection/genius-companies-2018/5412500/duolingo/

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GOFUNDME

GoFundMe is a platform that allows individuals to collect funds for a cause through a link online.

This platform enables helpless individuals who have found themselves in a situation with a need for monetary help to continue living.

After reaching their goal, they are able to use the money to support/sustain themselves.

One example is when the platform was used in a movement to sexual assault. More than 22 million was raised by 20 thousand donors, which was used to pay legal fees for sexual harassment victims.

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Generation Z

Brands and companies are slowly turning their attention to the upcoming generation of youths.

While many Generation Z kids share common interests with Millennials, such as social media and purchasing habits; we aren't exactly the same.

One example would be how Millennials created the trend of "be woke, stay woke", which started out as a way to raise awareness of world issues, such as homophobia, global warming, racism, etc.

However, Generation Z sees the beginning of how "woke culture" is being abused (both online and in real life). The term is thrown around lightly in arguments and debates, and some are using it to defend their violent actions and behavior. .https://www.salon.com/2020/02/08/why-im-sick-of-woke-culture/

The internet is a strange place - and it's still changing, every single day. These statistics can be helpful in future projects, if your target audience is Generation Z!

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/gen-z-stats

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Drinkable book

Summary: Paper filters that
teaches safe water habits and
printed on technologically advanced filter paper capable of killing deadly waterborne diseases, making clean water accessible to places with unclean water.

Much like food shortages, the current water scarcity will require a number of solutions, implemented at various levels, to ensure all humans have access to clean water by 2030. They range from long-term measures like re-naturalisation and biodiversity to prevent droughts, or protection of forests and wetlands against desiccation, to immediate solutions like greywater use for irrigation and innovative water filters like the Drinkable Book, which enables people to purify their own water, even when there is no source of potable water nearby.

According to Unicef, in 2015 there were 663 million people using unsafe drinking water. To combat the problem and to help educate about the dangers of unsafe water, WATERisLIFEteamed up with Dr Teri Dankovich from Carnegie Mellon to create the Drinkable Book.

Each page, costing just pennies to make, is coated with silver nanoparticles that, when used to filter water, can trap a reported 99.99% of the bacteria found in cholera, E. coli, and typhoid. One book is said to give 5,000 litres (up to four years) of clean drinking water for a single person.

https://www.davidairey.com/the-drinkable-book

https://www.amexessentials.com/solutions-for-a-better-world/

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Taking care of stray animals.
Many people feel sorry whenever they see homeless animals. Well there's  a company in Turkey called Pugedon who has created a solution for taking care of stray animals so there is no need to kill them or let them starve to death. Their vending machine in Istanbul takes bottles deposited for recycling and dispenses food for the city’s stray dogs.Istanbul is known for their stray dogs. The machine helps the stray dogs out by giving the opportunity to feed them and recycle plastic bottles.
https://www.boredpanda.com/stray-dog-food-vending-machine-recycling-pugedon/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

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A new way to encourage people to recycle.

In the past, you can sell newspapers and bottles,cans to Karung Guni and they would give us some money. As technology advances, these Karung Guni are no longer interested in recyclables anymore. And other then selling to the Karung Guni, we dont really recycle as there is no direct benefit to recycling.

Beijing however, has managed to come up with a unique machine that allows you to pay for your train fair by paying through bottles. These method is quite useful and sustainable in the long run as public transport is constantly on demand. (not now tho..) But in normal circumstance the exchange will be sustainable as we normally see the price in the drink and not the container itself.

https://www.boredpanda.com/creative-solutions-everyday-problems/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

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Any clue about clue?

To all the ladies who gets their period every month. Isn't it a hassle to always keep track when it is about to come? Clue is the solution to that to help us track our period so we will not have to! It is amazing how there is  a solution in the market now to help us track our period and not only that but allows your partners know when you are on your period and when it is safe to have sex or even plan when to do it.

This app is the solution to our monthly encounters. For people who cant keep track of your period and wishes that someone can give you a sign and clue is that friend that predicts it for you so you are in the clear of a bloody underwear.

The app not only notify and predicts the time of the month but also provides additional information on what period is all about and including the moods or pain one encounters during the time of the month. It also always your partners to understand a womens body. By using this app, it will allow you to have your period in peace.

https://time.com/collection/genius-companies-2018/5412493/clue/

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Innovative work by Apple
Apple is a prominent hardware and software company best known for its series of personal computers, the iPod and its innovative marketing strategies for its products. Almost often, I do hear people mentioning about how they have the "latest Iphone"- and each new Iphone has a new cool feature of some sort. Hence, Apple has never seem outdated to me.

One thing about Apple is that they incorporate technology very well with people's everyday life. And one innovative idea I feel that Apple has ever came up with was its last major new product, the Apple Watch.

This Apple watch not only has functions of an Iphone, Ipod but also has functions such as tracking the health of the user. This Apple watch even has functions such as monitoring heart rates, sensing impacts so as to ensure the safety of users by alerting their family members. It is like an all in one device, super useful yet made into a very compatible professional looking watch.

I mean who would have taught of such an innovative idea?

https://channels.theinnovationenterprise.com/articles/82-top-5-reasons-why-the-apple-watch-is-a-great-business-strategy

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Easily rotten produce solution

Some produce in supermarkets are easily spoilt and are hard to detect when they are ripe, causing many people to end up throwing away perfectly good food and eating rotten ones.

A company that sells avocados has come up with a simple yet ingenuous solution, by pasting a ripeness level meter display on the fruit itself, to ket customers how how ripe the avocado is by looking at its skin color and judging if it is still edible or not.

This has solved the problem of having to not throw away produce that are still edible and allowing the consumer to pick the right produce when shopping according to their needs.

https://mymodernmet.com/problems-you-never-knew-existed/

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Bumble
Bumble is more than an app, its a movement. It encourages integrity, kindness, equality, confidence and respect during all stages of relationship, whether online or offline. Bumble is a social network

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Tattoos at Work

Having a visible tattoo at work has long been frowned upon in certain professions, such as law, healthcare and finance. However, Debbie Darling, who runs her own marketing and PR agency, says her body art has been nothing but a bonus in her career. Her tattoos have become a talking point when she goes to networking events and it gets her remembered.

"People ask 'have you got any more, what inspired you to do it, what do they mean?' People who you wouldn't expect to have tattoos will say, I have one on my leg or on my back. It makes the conversation a bit more human."

The cultural demographic has changed far quicker than the established workplace culture. The number of people with one or more tattoos has changed in less than a decade. This rapid shift is also reflected more generally across the population, from Baby Boomers to Gen Z and beyond, with each cohort becoming more artistically decorated. The driving force, however, was, and still is, the young.

It seems like employers are becoming more tolerant of visible tattoos. Air New Zealand said it would end a ban on body arts to allow workers to express their individuality and cultural heritage. In 2018, London's Metropolitan Police partially relaxed a ban on recruiting candidates with body art, saying tattoos would now be considered on a "case by case basis".

Attitudes at work have been changing over the past two decades. But the situation is not "black and white" and many firms still won't hire if one has prominent body art. Employers associate tattoos with being a "thug" or "rough" and get nervous about hiring.

Over the last 5 years there have been reports of electricians, consultants, airport workers and waitresses losing jobs, or being ruled out of them, because of their body art. If an employer adopts a dress or appearance code, employees still have to follow it unless there are specific religious or cultural grounds not to.

As much as attitudes are changing, it is still an issue to many employers because of the stigma that comes with body art. However, is it really an issue and does it affect one’s work just because they have a different form of expression on themselves?

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48620528

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Ongoing taboo of discussing about end-of-life services

With the rise of e-commerce, more and more businesses have been going online to promote and sell their services to their customers. Funeral companies have recently jumped onto the bandwagon and started to promote their end-of-life services through their individual website. Some even included reasonably priced packages in hopes to attract potential customers in selecting their service from the very start - even when they are still alive.

However, not many people are keen to discuss about funeral services in the earlier stages of their lives as they deem it unnecessary and a bad omen to discuss it when they are still alive. Furthermore, many companies that promote their own services online do not have a wide variety or personalisation service to cater to different customers' requirements. Plus aesthetic-wise, they are not necessarily the most ideal in giving the customers that comfort or trust they need/expect to have.

The websites attached gives customers the freedom to do some customisation or tweaks to their own funeral, they even offer advanced planning for it as well. It brings the usual funeral planning to another notch by keeping the choices open for everyone. That way, planning for a funeral don't seem that monotonous or stagnant anymore, and it is more convenient and engaging in the meantime. If more people starts to turn to these type of funeral companies, perhaps discussing about it doesn't seem as bad or restricted anymore as all of these funeral companies give some sort of transparency into this whole idea of planning in advance.

https://www.iwantafunfuneral.com
https://beyond.life

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Tiny Houses for the Homeless

While Singapore is considered  to be quite well off, most poverty in Singapore exists in the shadows and corners of society that no one really pays much attention to. Many elderly who have no family or means of work are forced to sleep on the streets at night.

The way Seattle, America, deals with homelessness, is rather unique.  Seattle has the third largest homeless population in America, with 12,112 homeless men, women and children. Housing prices had gone up and many people were being evicted. When the issue was identified, the mayor called for  1000 tiny houses to be built.

One tiny house is 8 by 12 feet, and equipped with electricity, light, and heat. The local community were also involved in decorating the houses to make them more personable.

Today, 10 villages of tiny houses have been built, each village containing a cluster of 15-34 tiny houses. The villages provide community facilities such as bathrooms, kitchens, laundry services, security posts and counselling offices.

Tiny houses has saved many people from exposure to weather, violence, accidents and suicide. People are given a stable environment to get back on their feet.

Not only that, but a village serving 20-70 people only costs between 100,000 to 500,000 to build, while normal housing has long processes to make permits and costs millions of dollars to build.

While Singapore may not have enough space for tiny houses, we have small HDBs and other abandoned buildings that could be used to create a safe and stable environment for the homeless people in Singapore to get back on their feet.

Industrial buildings that are abandoned can be made into housing with small, single rooms, and communal facilities, similar to a dormitory. We tend to be very focused on profit, but I think that housing people and improving the quality of life for other far outweighs money.

https://shelterforce.org/2019/03/15/tiny-house-villages-in-seattle-an-efficient-response-to-our-homelessness-crisis/

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Tinker Time

As consumer technologies become more
affordable and accessible, maker culture is thriving in Brazil, with more people taking on DIY mechanical projects. People are increasingly experimenting with technologies like 3D printing, electronic
prototypes and laser cutting. This kind of DIY
building has become so popular that schools
are beginning to incorporate it into their curricula, even creating maker spaces, or
FabLabs, equipped with manufacturing tools.
By teaching students how to make something from nothing, schools are aiming to instill an entrepreneurial spirit in kids. The phenomenon extends to adults as well: One woman is leading carpentry workshops for women of all ages who aspire to explore the industry, either as
hobbyists or professionals.
As these types of programs continue to grow, people in Brazil are taking an increasingly hands-on approach to creativity
and education.

https://scontent.fsin6-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.8562-6/10000000_277386226569629_935345968994320384_n.pdf?_nc_cat=107&_nc_p2p=0&_nc_ohc=YM_ljBcB7jAAX9vT2ju&_nc_ht=scontent.fsin6-1.fna&oh=ee7c16f95c4cf73c099f6a5cbaabe708&oe=5ED3C29C

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Capturing the Zeitgeist: The Rise of Introverted Personalities

Many tend to view introverts as a problem group. This silent yet engaging personality type often tends to be misunderstood by those around them and are instead encouraged to act like extroverts to be better understood.

The narrow-minded mentality of people in general is to be inclined towards what fits norms and stereotypes best. This leads to false judgements and even isolation of the minority.

By spreading awareness, people are more likely to understand how introverts function and recognise their unique qualities. We have several examples of successful people who themselves were introverts, and even those who eulogise them may not realize that they lack appreciation for introverts around them who store great potential to reach greater heights. With more observational study and analytical understanding, a better approach towards introverts may be adopted.

https://www.goalcast.com/2018/04/12/most-successful-introverts/

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Untaboo-ing in the East

Attitudes to mental health, sexual health and gender are catching up with the region’s rapid economic development, helped along by technology.

Asian survey data and anecdotal evidence show a shift in openness about
traditional taboos and gender straitjackets. Mental health is a big concern across all generations, according to a survey of 2,500 consumers in five countries (China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and Australia) by Wunderman
Thompson Intelligence.

Attitudes to mental health, sexual health
and gender are catching up with Asia's rapid economic development, helped along by technology.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1423674/ooca-offers-mental-relief-online-for-corporate-users

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LifeStraw
We're very privileged to have access to clean water daily. How many of us can truly understand how it is like to not be able to access clean drinking water everyday? Over 1.1 million people in the world who don’t have access to clean drinking water, water-borne pathogens are a huge problem for the environment and for human health.

LifeStraw is a cigar-sized plastic tool engineered in an inexpensive way to deliver potable water to those who need it. Lifestraw delivers the most basic needs and purifies water from potential pathogens like typhoid, cholera, dysentery and diarrhoea, becoming one of the icons of humanitarian product design- by the time the water hits your lips, it’s completely safe and potable.

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Recommerce
Recommerce is a practice for a more sustainable earth where items and fashion are resold to a second loving home. This has been a big trend over the world, in western and European countries. However, this is not widely seen in Singapore. Yes, many millennials are thrifting for a healthier earth,  but do we see middle aged and older people doing this? there are also no business and official companies investing in this movement.

One solution i have thought of would be an app similar to PoshMark, like in the UK. This app is just for thrifting and selling used clothes to reduce land waste prodcued by the fashion industry.

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According to World Economic Forum's 2019 Global Risk report, environmental concerns take the top 3 spots in its 'top 10 risks in terms of likelihood'.

One large sector contributing to the emissions of greenhouse gases is agriculture and Impossible foods seek to change that.

Impossible Foods reduces greenhouse gas emissions by coming up with a plant-based meat replacement. According to their site, they use:
96%

LESS LAND

87%

LESS WATER
89%

FEWER GHG EMISSIONS

http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Risks_Report_2019.pdf

https://time.com/collection/genius-companies-2018/5412506/impossible-foods/

https://impossiblefoods.com/mission/

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Amazon, Always disrupting

Amazon consistently disrupts whatever it tackles, from retail and publishing to entertainment and cloud computing. Millions of people now chat away each day to Alexa, asking Amazon’s voice assistant to play music or remind them how to properly boil an egg. This year, the company proved it’s capable of changing the way people shop offline, too: at Amazon Go, a bricks-and-mortar store that first opened in Seattle, there are no checkouts. Sensors and computers automatically detect which items shoppers have taken off the shelves and charge their accounts.

"We want Prime to be such a good value, you'd be irresponsible not to be a member," Bezos wrote in the letter. "Prime has become an all-you-can-eat, physical-digital hybrid that members love...There's a good chance you're already one of them, but if you're not — please be responsible — join Prime."

“Our goal with Amazon Prime, is to make sure that if you are not a Prime member, you are being irresponsible."

https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-says-its-irresponsible-not-to-be-part-of-prime-2016-5?IR=T

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Problem: Road safety is a big issue. Over speeding is a very common traffic violation and it has been observed that about 112,000 drivers on average are ticketed for going too fast each day. As of 2013, the number of speed-related traffic deaths rose to about 9,600 which averages to around 800 people per month.[1]

Solution: Award people with money for driving legally! people who drink at the speed limit or slightly below will be automatically entered in a lottery for a chance to win big money.
the prize money then comes from the fines paid by the over-speeders.

So essentially it is a zero-sum game! It punishes the over-speeders and rewards the law-abiding drivers with the same money.

This idea was adopted by Stockholm, Sweden and in just one day they observed that the average speed of cars passing the camera dropped from 32 km/h before the experiment to 25 km/h after the speed lottery camera was installed. That’s a 22% reduction in speed! [2]

Therefore, we can conclude that even big problems like over-speeding can be solved by making tedious acts fun through social gamification.

Footnotes

[1] https://www.creditdonkey.com/speeding-statistics.html

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iynzHWwJXaA

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At this day and age, we are all about diversity and inclusivity. Especially in such politically tough times, certain ideologies and beliefs are being challenged.

Such would be the challenges to break gender stereotypes and fight for equal rights for the queer community. For many years, there always had been a certain standards and ‘norm’ for how a person should behave or act.

But now, we are pushing boundaries and resisting society’s standards. Drag defies what society has defined as the norm and breaking down the mould that’s been made.

Drag queens or drag kings, you name ‘em. Drag itself has always been political and is just a way to rebel against what society has wanted their people to be. Drag allows people to create their own identity and be who they truly are.

https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/11/5/18056558/drag-queens-politics-activism-lgbtq-rupaul

https://www.independent.ie/style/celebrity/celebrity-news/rupaul-drag-is-political-and-combats-male-dominated-culture-36665612.html

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Pay With Plastic Bottles
As a way to prevent littering and promote recycling, Beijing has invented a “Reverse vending machines” that allows riders to deposit their polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles in exchange for a commuter pass or mobile phone credit. Depending on its weight and composition, they will determine how much will be awarded to the riders. In Beijing, it would be about 16 cents per bottle.

It is introduced in the late 2012 with 10 machines arcoss the city but now it has expand to include 34 machines and plan to install as many as 3000 across cities.

Interesting fact is that Beijing do not have a plastic recycling problem with a 90% recycling rate for PET bottles. That is due to the fact that there are countless of migrant workers that pick up the city’s trash and collect plastic bottles which will then be repurposed by large companies.

If these machines were to be installed in other countries, it will not only encourage recycling but also be wallet friendly to everyone. People who do not have enough to take the subway will finally rejoice as it will make their lives convenient.

https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2014/beijing-recycling-program-turns-bottles-subway-rides/41131

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Burnout
Burnout is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed emotionally drained and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, one will begin to lose the interest and motivation that led them to take on a certain role in the first place.

" The positive feeling of enthusiasm dedication, security and enjoyment fad away and are replaced by anger, anxiety and depression"

Burnout doesn't go away on it's own: rather, it will get worse unless you address the underlying issues cause by it. If one even deny or ignore the sign of burnout, it will only cause them further harm down the line. So it's important that one begin recovery as soon as possible, as it is a slow journey: need time and space to recuperate, so don't rush through the process.

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1st Floor, 114 Whitechapel High Street

GA London, The Relay Building

London
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Vanessa Dewey Lead Development & Creative Experiences

Throughout her career, Vanessa has been obsessed with three things: cultures, connections, and communities. She continually looks both outward and inward to foster inspiration, forge creative communities and encourage risk-taking, curiosity and bold action.
It is with this mindset that Vanessa has applied to her career resulting in a non-linear but dynamic career.

Over the course of the last 12+ years Vanessa has worked in-house at some iconic American companies which have spanned from Los Angeles, to New York and London. For nearly 10 years she worked in house at Mattel, first in branding and packaging and then as the first Lead in Creative and Development Experience. As a member of the Mattel HR team, she defied stereotypes by bringing a creative, human-centered design approach to a traditionally corporate department Following Mattel, Vanessa joined Adobe as a key founding team member who catalysed the launch of the current enterprise marketing events series- Creative Jams, in North America and EMEA. She solely established the program within EMEA where she had the opportunity to work with clients like the BBC, VICE, WPP all whilst splitting her time between London and Los Angeles.

Outside her career Vanessa has been heavily involved in other purpose led communities from AIGA (the professional organisation for design) at a local and national level, Ladies Get Paid and even LA Design Festival. Since the beginning of 2020, Vanessa is now full time in London. She is a beagle owner and has a slight coffee obsession.

Rose Scanlon-Jones Freelance Eco-Coach & Designer

From social media marketing to help every day people find ways to live more sustainably, Rose's career spans across many genres! She's dedicated her life and energy to helping others find their most authentic self and to create beautiful pieces of design. In her work shes a designer, brand consultant and eco-coach.
At 23 she burnt out and from there she's been on a journey of self-discovery and professional evolution.
She's worked for the likes of General Assembly, Sanctus, SheSays LDN and has volunteered across the UK to give her time to others.

Natalie Hewison Admissions Producer,
General Assembly London

Natalie is one of GA London's Admissions Team, by day you will find her speaking with prospective students about up-skilling and life changing career decisions, and by night she will be most likely eating Japanese food or in the cinema.

She graduated from the University of the Creative Arts in Fashion Promotion, spending 4 years working in wholesale in the heart of the British Fashion Industry with clients such as Art Comes First, Spencer Hart Saville Row, Phoebe English and many more. She then took a different turn and spent 7 incredible years working for Apple. Last year she left her Business Account Manager role at Apple to pursue a long burning passion of hers; International Development.

Stationed on the Eastern Cape, South Africa she spent 3 months last year working on an International Youth Development project, focussing on tackling an extremely high Youth Unemployment rate. When returning to London she joined GA and has since been supporting our students with their exciting, and sometimes scary, career change opportunities.

Outside of work she will quite often be found sparking conversation around pressing issues in todays society; advocating for mental health awareness, and also the power of young people in today's world.

Jack Needham & James Naylor Founders,
Livitay

James and Jack are the founders of Livitay, having left University and having their own mental health stories, set up a business centred around helping to spread the word about wellbeing and mental health within companies of all sizes and providing the toolkit needed to improve your physical and mental health.

Livitay

At Livitay, we believe that one day every company will strive with us for a healthier and more inspired workforce. We are achieving this by working with companies that use the Livitay platform to build wellbeing programs that are inclusive of everyone and track the benefits.

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1st Floor, 114 Whitechapel High Street London In Partnership With: Can't Make It? Follow this event to get an email the next time it's scheduled. Sign-up not required Follow 1st Floor, 114 Whitechapel High Street London Sign-up not required Follow Vanessa Dewey Lead Development & Creative Experiences Throughout her career, Vanessa has been obsessed with three things: cultures, connections, and communities.

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Impossible Foods

Production of meat from livestock results to 10 to 40 times the amount of greenhouse gas emissions as production of plant crops. If nothing is done to solve this problem, it may lead to an environmental catastrophe. Thus, introducing Impossible Foods into the food industry, where no meat is involved.

Of course, habits die hard where one can’t live without meat but Impossible Foods can unknowingly change one’s eating habit. One would be eating healthier due the consumption of meat made from only plant-based ingredients. A substitute for animals where the meat would have a similar taste to meat from animals.
It is certain that a solution is made to impact a few pertinent things: human health, environmental sustainability and global resources. So, it is up to us to change our ways and do what is best to protect our earth.

https://impossiblefoods.com

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Fenty Beauty
Broadening Makeup's palette's

Fenty Beauty has tackled a major gap in the industry. Known as inclusivity. With Rihanna bringing new standards into the industry, it shows how being inclusive and diverse is very beneficial in garnering a good consumer base as well. With this, it shows that other brands are also having this approach and trying to expand on their palettes as well.

What Fenty Beauty does that not many other brands does not is introduce an expansive palette. Catering to skin tone inclusivity, meaning that all skins tones are welcomed. What most brands do is that they mainly cater to white women.

To show how well recieved the product is, the sales they had was 5 times more than Kylie Cosmetics and its sales only continued to increase.

To show another example, with her first collection, her foundation came with 40 diverse shades and the biggest selling point was it's diversity and how it caters to everyone. Following this, there are plans to expand into a full fledge line.

Based on this, I feel that the biggest learning point we can take from this is that inclusivity is very important to every brands. When consumers feel included and appreciated, is when we can really gain their trust and respect. Giving them reason to come back and continue to follow the brand. Working in a consumer based industry, their respect is the most important. That is the biggest take away.

https://www.more.com/beauty/makeup/fenty-beauty-sales-are-proving-inclusivity-isnt-just-makeup-fad/

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Netflix
Binging on Success

Netflix launched the streaming revolution and turned viewers into binge-watchers, forever modifying the way people consume video. Nowadays, it's recreating the process of making TV shows and movies as they progressively places itself into direct battle with the world's biggest studios. Having started with basic marquee series like "House of Cards" in 2013, now it produces over 1,000 original shows and films. The strategy merges quantity with quality as they recruit Oscar-winning directors to create better entertainment for the people.

The company is venturing big on data too. Netflix analyzes viewers binge history to predict what will get them to watch in the future. This acts like a reel that will constantly pull viewers to watch variety of shows and movies through their platform. It shows how the UX was considered greatly to establish a great experience for viewers to enjoy the various entertainment videos that Netflix offers.

https://time.com/collection/genius-companies-2018/5412640/netflix/

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the future of smart vehicles

Smart vehicles have been around for a while now, back in 2007 when Volkswagen introduced the “Park assist” feature coupled with a few intriguing ads, took off in the compact MPV market.

Today, Tesla has paved the way for (partially) self driving cars and smart vehicles in general. It features an autopilot mode for highways and other smart features like the ability to move your car forward/backwards through the Tesla app on your phone.

Elon musk recently revealed a new model to the line up called the Cyber Truck, turned many heads and sparked many conversations. He also “over-promised” on full autonomous driving on all streets by the end of 2019...

Meanwhile, other car manufacturing companies such as Porsche and BMW have been coming up with  new and innovative ways to join the electric/smart car gang, with Porsche releasing its Porsche Taycan in early 2019.

What does the future have installed for electric cars and smart cars of the future?

https://www.fool.com/investing/what-does-the-future-hold-for-self-driving-cars.aspx

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Feeding stray and homeless animals by recycling plastic bottles

Animals often die of starvation as food scarcity for them is an issue, which causes the many deaths of the animals due to hunger and predation. This means that when there is not enough food at the place where they hide at, they face hunger and malnutrition.

As for Singapore, the stray cats and dogs are blessed enough as i usually see people feeding them. But they do not get access to food as easily as pets from home.  There are many people who feel sorry for them every time when they see them as they are homeless and willing to buy food from their own pocket from the nearby supermarkets to feed them, but not everyone is willing to do so. But can you take a minute to just imagine how awesome would it be if all this stray cats and dogs have food supplies all the time, without the worries about these animals starving and having the need to go around to look for food?

A Turkish company called Pugedon came up with a solution for this issue to feed the stray animals. They invented this machine that dispenses food and water when people recycle plastic bottles. There are 2 benefits of this vending machine. Firstly, to encourage recycling and secondly, to feed the stray animals.

The vending machine has three openings: One at the front around eye-level for depositing plastic bottles or cans, the second opening slightly below the first, for liquids that is remaining in the bottle before recycling, which people can pour into the second opening and the water will flow into a bowl located right next to the food, and the third one on the right side of the machine nearer to the ground for dog food to fall into the bowl.

This is a great invention for people to feed the strays, as well as saving the earth at the same time.

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This Vending Machine Takes Bottles And Gives Food To Stray Dogs In Exchange

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Plastic Waste to Fashion Statement

We all know plastic as the non biodegradable material that, when turns into waste, adversely affects wildlife, wildlife habitat, and humans. Many conscious efforts have been done in order to reduce plastic waste, such as the movement to stop using single-use plastic.

As the fashion industry grows more aware of the current issues revolving plastic waste, a new material has been created with the aim of giving plastic a second life. ReNew was created when the fashion brand, Everlane, partnered with groups in Taiwan and Japan that collects recycled plastic water battles. The process was mainly: sorting (since only the clear plastic was used), stripping off caps, sanitising, grinding and then spinning into a fine yarn. This yarn is then stuffed and sewn into clothes.

Everlane also has made a commitment to remove virgin plastic from its supply chain completely within the next few years. They aim to replace their plastic packaging, zipper pulls and synthetic fabric in clothes. They hope that by moving in this direction, they will be able to take recycled plastic clothing mainstream in everyday fashion.

https://www.wired.com/story/plastics-in-fashion-everlane-renew/

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AIR-INK

Air-Ink was founded by Graviky Labs, an MIT Media Lab spin-off focussing on building technology that can make a real world impact. It is a brand of ink and ink-based art products made by “capturing" and filtering polluted air via KAALINK, their own patented technology. One air-ink pen is approximately made up of 40-50 minutes of diesel car pollution. The ink is later brought to artists and printing companies to make carbon-negative prints with a high degree “carbon impact” on the environment.

So, why ink? The particulate matter in polluted air derives its carcinogenic properties from its ability float in air and thus being able to enter into our respiratory system. By binding the captured pollution into inks, the pollutants’ original characteristics is stripped away and is instead translated into art, saving streams and land from being victims of massive pollution.

Its company firmly believes that “Pollution is nothing but the resources we are not harvesting. We allow them to disperse because we’ve been ignorant of their value.” Saving the earth from air pollution and channeling creativity at the same time? Now that’s what I call killing two birds with one stone!

http://www.graviky.com/air-inktrade.html

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Buy subway ticket by recycling plastic bottles

Trash, often seen as useless and will never be useful. But not in the current generation, where everyone is trying their best to recycle and upcycle as much as possible just to save the environment. Trash, especially bottles are often produced by Italians were being thrown on the streets. Their major landfill site and two of the city’s treatment plants are also in big danger as there is nowhere to put the trash.

Hence, they decided to launch an initiative where special machines compact the bottles and add credit to a user’s metro travel application. This initiative has also been done in other cities such as Beijing, Istanbul and Surabaya. According to the organizers of World Earth Day, 1 million plastic bottles were bought every minute globally. Producing 275 million tons of plastic waste generated worldwide each year. Therefore coming up with such an initiative is very important for all the countries to produce less global warming.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/08/rome-recycling-plastic-bottles-subway-fare/

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A.I shaping the Music Industry

A.I has already been used in many ways. There has been a constant debate where most feel that human creativity can't be replicated with A.I but those days have inched close to an end.

Through composition to audio mastering up to the marketing aspect in the industry with helping consumers find who to listen to and in return promotes the growth of  artists. A.I becomes an all rounder boost to the industry.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2019/07/05/the-amazing-ways-artificial-intelligence-is-transforming-the-music-industry/#707b8c7e5072

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The Drinkable Book

Currently, many countries are experiencing water shortage and lack of access to clean water. There are several solutions, long-term ones like biodiversity and re-naturalisation, and immediate ones like innovative kinds of water filter. One such example is The Drinkable Book, the first manual to educate and at the same time provides safe and clean water.

Every page can be used as a filter, and it consists of  methods to educate on this problem. A book can last for up to 4 years, and WATERisLIFE is also currently in the process of publishing the book in various languages.

https://waterislife.com/impact/clean-water

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Vegan Meat

Meat produced contributes 15% of the greenhouse gases during livestock farming, which affects our climate. As we move forward, our habits start to change. From creating a more environmental-friendly space through the three ‘Rs’ and eating more plant-based food. A sudden change of diet from meat-based to plant-based food is a huge step for us and it is impossible to change everyone’s diet in under a day.

Creating a plant-based meat that requires less land, water and produces less greenhouse emissions are a great first step of encouraging a more climate friendly lifestyle. Growing a plant-based diet does not necessarily have to be about health and animal welfare. However, for the sake of the planet, people are increasingly motivated to ditch meat and protect our world.

https://www.dw.com/en/vegan-meat-the-future-of-planet-saving-plant-based-eating/a-51054861

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Smart Shopping Technology

To enhance a shopper’s experience in the store, Panasonic tried to integrate technology into a brick and mortar retail store. As societies become more fast-paced, people would want everything to be quick and easy. Therefore, Panasonic came up with a smart shopping basket which can immediately calculate your total bill and even bag your stuff at the check out counter. This in turn helps eliminate the time spent slowly scanning item by item by using RFID to help keep track what is added into the basket.

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Panasonic is joining the race to automate grocery store checkouts. Just one week after Amazon unveiled its cashier-free convenience store, the Japan-based electronics maker today showed off its own solution with a checkout machine that can detect items in your shopping cart, tally the bill, and automatically bag those items.

As detailed by The Wall Street Journal, Panasonic's system would use a basket that scans items outfitted with electronic tags as they're being put inside. When a customer checks out, they place their basket on a machine where the bottom of the basket slides out. The items inside are gently dropped into a plastic bag while the customer pays the bill.

The goal is to help save time rather than eliminate the need for human employees within the store

Unlike Amazon Go's system, Panasonic executives say their version of the automated grocery store could more strongly appeal to markets where cash is still king. "We need a good solution also for customers who wouldn't like a completely digitalized system," Yasuyuki Fukui, a Panasonic business-development executive, told WSJ.

The goal is to help save time and improve self-checkout machines rather than eliminate the need for human employees within the store, which they consider to be a place of community. The smart shopping basket would also require considerably less surveillance than Amazon Go's system, which could monitor customers' every move as they navigate the store.

Panasonic's concept is currently being tested at a Lawson convenience store in Osaka, Japan where Panasonic is headquartered. The company is expecting to complete testing in February, with a wider rollout in 2018 if preliminary trials are successful.

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Panasonic's smart shopping basket calculates your bill and bags your items

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Panasonic is joining the race to automate grocery store checkouts. Just one week after Amazon unveiled its cashier-free convenience store, the Japan-based electronics maker today showed off its own solution with a checkout machine that can detect items in your shopping cart, tally the bill, and automatically bag those items. As detailed by The Wall Street Journal , Panasonic's system would use a basket that scans items outfitted with electronic tags as they're being put inside.

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Merck

Merck makes deadly diseases a priority and developed life-saving treatments. One example would be Merck’s Ebola vaccine following the 2014 Ebola epidemic in west Africa.

It claimed more than 11,300 lives and a vaccine was the solution to contain future outbreaks. Merck builds its pharmaceutical reputation around many of the currently required childhood vaccinations, acquiring a promising vaccine candidate from researchers in Canada, then took on the daunting task of testing it on 18,000 health care workers and other volunteers.

While the vaccine remains experimental for now, the results have been encouraging. It was pressed into service this May, when cases began appearing in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Merck is committed to making the Ebola vaccine available wherever needed and do not intend to profit from the vaccine.

https://time.com/collection/genius-companies-2018/5412667/merck/

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wow beauty standards am i right??? honestly, how many of us have felt inadequate or even unattractive, JUST because we've never seen a representation of ourselves in mainstream media? beauty standards are pretty much defined by the typical, caucasian cookie cutter influencers. like yes, you may look like gigi hadid's doppelgänger, but what kind of example are you setting for young impressionable minds?

grotesque beauty might just be the answer to this problem. by normalising unconventional methods of beauty, we can spread the message that beauty is in no way binary, and that looking like a victoria's secret angel isn't necessarily the end goal for us. by learning to embrace the 'ugly' parts of themselves, teenagers will hopefully have improved mental health and sense of self-security.

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In the universe there are millions and millions of galaxies and planets. Living in a solar system in our galaxy - The Milky Way consider small comparing to the rest outside our galaxy.

We humans living in this tiny world, sometimes will wonder what it is like to travel into outer space, what could you find there, how does it looks like or do aliens really exists? Many question about the outer space involving planets, stars, comets and black hole.

A company named SpaceX started by Elon Musk, an electric car maker - Tesla which is founded in 2002 have a mission of finding new planets for people to live on or new place to obit to in the outer space.

After a successful mission of a spacecraft returning to space after orbiting the earth in 2010, the company slowly making progress and sending rockets towards space in the future years. In the future, we might have a chance to travel around the earth and see how space looks like in our own eyes. Not forgetting Elon musk actually send a Tesla car with a dummy into space. How cool is that?

https://time.com/collection/genius-companies-2018/5412654/spacex/

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X-rays bed.

Despite x-rays being one of the most advanced methods in the world to attain information on human health, it is still unavailable for most people in the world.

A company called Nanox is trying to make x-rays widely available and in return, it will incur lower cost for organizations. The usual x-ray machines we see uses analog and bulky rotating tubes, Nanox is aiming to use a digital system that is cooler with stationary tubes that are smaller and cheaper.

https://www.engadget.com/2020/01/16/nanox-digital-x-ray-bed/

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Problematic Speeding

Road safety is a big issue that is commonly overlooked. Speeding is a very common traffic violation around the world and it has been observed that about 112,000 drivers on average are ticketed for going too fast each day.

Therefore to counter the issue, Kevin Richardson entered The Fun Theory competition held by Volkswagen in 2010, and proposed that a signboard should be placed by the road to capture the speed of drivers. Then if the driver was above the speed limit, they would be fined. If they weren't they would be entered into a lottery. The funds coming from the speeding drivers are then used as the lottery money.

It was a very creative yet fun solution that enforced people to abide to road laws. And its effectiveness was shown when the average speed out of 24,857 cars taken in Sweden dropped from 32km/h to 25km/h. Now that's amazing!

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The Swedish Speed Camera Lottery And Healthy Living - The Medical Futurist

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Speed camera lottery improved riders' behavior in Sweden. Could social gamification improve healthy living and make healthcare systems more sustainable?

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Defying Beauty Standards in Mainstream Media

So nowadays you go online see what? See pretty good looking models; same height, weight category etc. As such people who view this have a preconceived notion of what beauty is!!! This is bad! 😡

Teens nowadays pick up these trends easily especially with widespread use of social media. They eat these images up and then they try to attain these ridiculous standards of beauty :(

BUT BUT BUT! Recently we have seen a change for the better with inclusivity campaigns popping up. HOWEVER! Even with inclusivity, this issue with the ideal beauty standard still has not been resolved.

WHY? BECAUSE BEAUTY SHOULD BE ALL-ABOUT SELF EXPRESSION!!!  🦋✨ We need to abolish these standards by letting people express beauty by being comfortable with their OWN IDEALS and OWN EXPRESSIONS!!

This is where Grotesque Beauty and it's subculture of experimental, self-expressing artists come in!

Hopefully one day brands will turn to promoting this form of unique obscure beauty as well to show people that beauty can be perceived in their own way! Break the norm by defying mainstream standards! Wo0HOO!! 🤤

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Air Pollution

Air pollution is one of the main problems in large cities and many in many cases, it is getting worse day by day.

Smog is air pollution that reduces visibility. The smoke usually come from burning coal. Smog was common in industrial areas, and remains a familiar sight in cities residing near industrial areas. Smog kills about 4,000 people everyday in China and in the US about 4 in 10 people live in counties that have unhealthy levels of either ozone or particle pollution.

A solution to address this issue, Dutch painter Daan Roosegaarde, together with engineers, constructed a Smog Free Tower. By using ionization technology, the tower can clean up to 30,000 cubic meters of air per hour and runs on 1,400 watts of green energy. This technology is successfully implemented in South Korea, China,  the Netherlands and Poland.

https://www.businessinsider.com/daan-roosegaarde-smog-free-tower-turns-pollution-into-fine-jewelry-2016-6?IR=T

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Light is a radically different technology company. We design beautiful tools that respect and empower our users and our first product is The Light Phone.

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Textile Waste

The excessive amount of unwanted clothes that people simply throw out when they no longer have any use of them is truly shocking.

In NEA's last update in 2016, the amount of clothing that Singapore has successfully recycled remains at a low rate of 10% - a stagnant number since 2003. In 2016, only a mere 7% of Singapore's total textile wastage was successfully recycled, while the other 93% was sent to be burned and dumped at the Semaku landfill. While Singapore continues to make very little progress in textile recycling, its waste output has increased from 93,300 tonnes in 2008 to 150,700 tonnes in 2016.

That's where Re;code comes in.

Re;code is a Korean brand with an aim of upcycling salvaged materials such as discarded clothing. They reinterpret and redesign unique clothing, each piece with its own story to tell.

In addition to creating goodwill and value in a culture where people think its easier to just throw old clothes away instead of trying to repair or salvage them, Re;code also works with the mentally handicapped and the ''Goodwill Store'' to create a sustainable fashion brand.

Many of their products are salvaged clothing that was taken apart, and then put back together again in entirely new designs.

https://www.fashionrevolution.org/usa-blog/7-fashion-brands-that-are-designing-out-waste/

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Turning your cells into cancer killers

Novartis is a company that launched a form of therapy drug named CAR-T therapy, Kymriah that treats resistant B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common child cancer in the U.S. Customized to every individual, the treatment takes T cells (immune cells that protect the body from cancer cells) from the patient, re-engineers them with a protein that targets tumor cells, and infuses them back into the body. In clinical trials, the overall remission rate within three months of treatment was 83%. Many patients have passed the four-year survival mark. Novartis is also now developing a line of CAR-T dru*gs for other blood cancers as well as solid tumors.

This solution was intriguing to me as it is a highly profound and innovative solution of using the body's own immunity cells to recognize the cancer cells and destruct them instead of introducing foreign and unnatural cells into the body. It is a reflection how much technology has developed that our own body can fight such diseases and viruses with help from science and technology.

Link: https://www.fastcompany.com/company/novartis

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We all know recycling is good for us in the long run, but how many of us actually make an effort to do so?

In Beijing, an incentive for this is created through the use of subway reverse vending machines. These machines exchange a plastic bottle for a subway ticket.

This is a great idea to cater to people who have less initiative to recycle on their own. It also allows for a new form of advertisement revenue on a new medium that attracts many people.

https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2014/beijing-recycling-program-turns-bottles-subway-rides/41131

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Climate Change

It was only until very recently that people have started to take notice about climate change. With events such as the Australian Wildfires, it is becoming more and more evident that global warming and climate change is getting worst as the years go by. Yet despite this we do not know how wide of a scale this is affecting us.

To keep it simple, visual & in a compelling way to communicate the changes in our climate, Professor Ed Hawkins has created 'climate stripes' that showed the climate changes from 1850 to 2019, with the stripes going from a blue to a red gradient that shows that Earth is going through global warming.

The stripes have since been incorporated into things such as ties and pins worn by senators in government positions. This helps to start the conversation about climate change, and the conversation on how to battle climate change needs to happen first before action can be done.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90367577/this-is-one-of-the-simplest-and-best-climate-change-graphics-weve-ever-seen
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-51418310/climate-change-why-are-us-senators-wearing-this-symbol

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Apeel Sciences

Shoppers realised that the avocados that they bought did not turn bad due to some chemical sprayed to preserve the food for long term.

There is so much food growing and yet one in nine people worldwide do not have enough to eat, and the reason is spoilage.

Some food might need to preserve after some certain timing and condition to prevent turning bad . However some consumers might find it uncomfortable to purchase the food that has chemical sprayed on to preserve in order to eat.

Rogers suggested why don't we use food to preserve food. Apeel has developed a way to do that by reusing organic materials like leftover grape pressings from wineries, and they invent add an invisible, tasteless barrier to keep moisture in and oxygen out.
The outcome of the produce stays fresh two to three times longer.
Do not need to create any chemical onto the food and use natural organic to resolve the problem.

https://time.com/collection/genius-companies-2018/5412098/apeel-sciences/

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Wuhan Corona Virus

Recently, there has been this virus that is highly contagious. It started from Wuhan, China and is said that bats were the host of the virus. This virus has affected thousands of people and has gotten the world's attention. Currently in Singapore, there is 43 confirmed cases and has raised the DORSCON level to orange. What makes this virus so deadly is because of how they can spread before symptoms start showing.

This virus stormed over the internet and got people panicking. In Singapore, people are over reacting to this and are even stocking up on dry goods.

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Japan's Innovative ways to improve quality of life

Embracing technology has always been a way of life for Japan. In its latest initiatives for a smarter future, about 1500 networked cameras and 2000 sensors were installed for surveillance islandwide. This is part of an initiative to combat crime in Japan to ensure the safety of its residents.

This resulted in the crime rate in Kagokawa prefecture to fall below the Hyogo Prefecture average for the first time in November 2018.

The rise of emerging technology has also increased further tensions on data privacy and management. A new initiative called the "Osaka Track" has been put in place to increase awareness on data governance services, international rule-making on certain areas of the e-commerce trade rules.

These government initiatives will definitely foster a safe environment for Japanese Citizens to make sure they get the best out of life.

I would like to end of by saying that although Singapore is a pretty safe country when it comes to data protection, the government should always learn from Japan's exemplary measures to ensure security for its citizens.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/japan/2020/01/21/data-governance-and-smart-cities-are-helping-improve-quality-of-life-in-japan/#5fe79ea34097

and

https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news19_e/dgra_28jun19_e.htm

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Pickpocketing

With the increase of tourism, pick pocking is on the rise. In Sans Francisco, more than 2100 pickpocketing reports were filled by the transit cops in 2018, a 13% increase over 2017. Most thieves target vacationers as they are the ones loaded with valuables, and are generally new to the layout of the location.

Swedish phone giant Ericsson developed a technology known as the 'adaptive friction'. It relies on built-in sensor to detect how mobile phones are picked up from your pockets. Sensors will be able to tell if someone other than the owner picks up the device. Once it detects a different way of grabbing the phone (e.g. grabbing corner of the phone), the device will vibrate rapidly to make it difficult for the thief to grip the edges. It will also alert the user about the pickpocket.

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MOBILE phones will soon give pick-pockets the slip by sliding from their fingers when they try to pinch them.

Sensors will be able to tell if someone other than the owner picks up the handset.

They will vibrate rapidly to make it difficult for a thief to grip the edges so they are harder to steal.

The feature, known as adaptive friction, has been developed by Swedish phone giant Ericsson, which has filed a patent.

The application says: "In this mode, the unauthorised user would have a more difficult time gripping the device."

The technology relies on built-in sensors to detect how it is being used or picked up.

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It becomes easier to grip when in the palm of the hand but slippery when someone attempts to take it from a pocket.

The extra grip when calling or texting also cuts the risk of dropping it, ending the costly misery of repairing cracked screens.

There were an estimated 446,000 phone thefts in England and Wales during 2016.

Thieves often pickpocket devices or snatch them from users' hands in drive-by thefts on mopeds. But is not known when the feature will make its way into phones sold in shops.

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Anti-theft tech created that turns phones SLIPPERY when grabbed by pickpockets

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MOBILE phones will soon give pick-pockets the slip by sliding from their fingers when they try to pinch them. Sensors will be able to tell if someone other than the owner picks up the handset. They will vibrate rapidly to make it difficult for a thief to grip the edges so they are harder to steal.

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Water Accessibility

The Drinkable Book By  WATERisLIFE

It’s the first ever manual that provides safe water, sanitation, and hygiene education all in a single book. Each page is a  water filter inscribed with hygiene and sanitation education.

Each book can provide a user with clean water for up to four years. WATERisLIFE has introduced a campaign to move into full production of The Drinkable Book.

This book was invented with the intention to educate people on safe water drinking habits as well as filtering out diseased filled water to provide clean water.

We should bring more focus to the crisis of water shortage as this is something that affects all of us.

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Labelled Shopping Baskets

Recently, there has been an innovation where baskets are labelled as to whether shoppers  would want assistance or not. In 2016, a Reddit user shared a photo of a shopping basket rack inside an Innisfree, a Korean beauty store located throughout Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan. The basket with the green sign indicates the shopper doesn’t need assistance, while the orange sign indicates the shopper may.

This allows for better comfort for shoppers as they are able to pick their preferences in their shopping experience. This is especially helpful for those who face anxiety as they are able to avoid those staffs who follow the shoppers around even despite them not wanting any help.

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An innovation to get all those salespeople to leave you the hell alone while you're shopping has finally arrived.

On Thursday, a Reddit user shared a photo of a shopping basket rack inside an Innisfree, a Korean beauty store located throughout Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan.

The basket with the green sign indicates the shopper doesn't need assistance, while the orange sign indicates the shopper may.

Other Redditors speculated that makeup shops like Innisfree with limited staff can be difficult for introverts, and that the thorough customer service in Korea, while extremely helpful if you're actually looking to shop, can be bothersome if you're just browsing.

"There are three salespeople for every customer, hovering around following you all around the store even if you tell them you're fine," one user commented. "So it's really cool to see some innovation."

Most people regardless of anxiety level would probably be completely on board with having the ability to just peruse the aisles without getting accosted by an Eager Edgar. Not that there's anything wrong with a customer service employee being helpful and doing his or her job, but sometimes shopping alone is the only opportunity to get a little peace and quiet throughout the week.

But of course, these baskets don't exist in a vacuum. So, what happens if they run out of green or orange baskets? Do I have to carry the other color? And what if I suddenly have a question while in possession of a green basket? What if I choose not to carry around a basket at all?

This solution to shopping anxiety has somehow inadvertently opened a derivative Pandora's box. Regardless, I too will opt for the "fuck off" basket, all day, everyday.

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These shopping baskets are both the best and worst things to happen ever

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An innovation to get all those salespeople to leave you the hell alone while you're shopping has finally arrived. On Thursday, a Reddit user shared a photo of a shopping basket rack inside an Innisfree, a Korean beauty store located throughout Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan.

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Definition of beauty = NO definition

In today's society, people uses social media all the time. Increased used of social media has come a heightened awareness of others around us. They've seen many different faces and slowly created their own standards of beauty. 'True beauty' where one has to be slim, small faced, have defined features and more.

This causes more people to fall into depression and start to damage their own bodies by messing up their diet plan. People have also become insecure of their own appearance that they'd put on too much makeup or photoshop themselves. Ofcourse these factors are fine but too much can be too dangerous.

We should focus on giving awareness and start campaigns or a social media trend with some kind of hashtag to call out unrealistic beauty standards.

https://bust.com/feminism/12784-stop-the-beauty-madness-campaign-calls-out-unrealistic-standards.html

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Growing ze meat

Folks! Listen up, we can now grow da meat! Singapore is developing meat growing technology that allows an alternative to meat that does not harm animals. As the world becomes more aware of the rising severity of climate change, many individuals are working to consciously reduce their carbon footprint. And as Vegans grow in numbers, the awareness of animal cruelty in production farms and slaughter houses increase.

There is an alternative to the brutal slaughter of little lambs and cows. Presenting, cultured produce that is grown in a lab.

Its clean, has a low-carbon footprint and does not involve murder so yes. very very yes.  Lab cultured meat is sustainable unlike rearing livestock that produces significant amounts of greenhouse gas. Bioreactors in labs cultivate the STEM cells found in your favourite meat of choice like beef, chicken, fish or pigs.

This allows you to live guilt free from consuming the corpses of animals that probably screamed a lot when they where murdered and capitalised for your dinner. So this is good solution. YES :>

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/future-food-growing-meat-in-lab-to-help-meet-supply-needs

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Sweatcoin

A health app that connects with health-conscious audiences, and encourages people to be healthy and indulge in more physical activity  by walking more, as it pays to walk. The more you walk, the more currency you earn on the app which can be converted into real money as an offer, or you can also use the currency earned to pay for other offers which are available through Sweatcoin's partnerships with various businesses. This also provides opportunities for more sustainable incentives for the businesses and users.

Now, this app also allows you to use your sweatcoins for charity purposes,  contributing your steps into useful sweatcoins to make donations to the needy in undeveloped countries etc. Making users feel a sense of accomplishment when they walk more, knowing that it 'pays to walk' and that their steps converted goes a long way into helping other communities and benefit the society and the world.  At the same time, they also benefit from a healthy lifestyle.

https://sweatco.in/i/cheryl291469

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Goods, services and experiences ranging from high-tech shoes to iPhones, from anti-gravity yoga classes to Apple Watches.

An even better way to use your sweatcoins is to give them to charity. Once our community has crowdfunded enough sweatcoins to reach the target sum, we donate to our NGO partners. We support environmental, humanitarian and animal preservation causes.

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Sweatcoin - An app that rewards your steps

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Goods, services and experiences ranging from high-tech shoes to iPhones, from anti-gravity yoga classes to Apple Watches. An even better way to use your sweatcoins is to give them to charity. Once our community has crowdfunded enough sweatcoins to reach the target sum, we donate to our NGO partners.

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DEFORESTATION

With a rise in economies, many companies and corporations are looking for areas to start and expand their factories. Most of the time large lands of rainforests are cut down to make way for their expansions, leading to the severe level of deforestation that is happening right now.

There are actually many creative solutions that are created that can actually solve the deforestation problem.
Many of them focuses on preventing the issue by identifying the corporations that illegally cuts down rainforests, stopping illegal logging activities.

One of the solutions which really caught my eye was the reforestation drones. There are drones that "shoots trees into the ground". It drops seeds that comes along with a pod that contains all the nutrients needed to grow the plant. This technology helps plant trees at a faster rate and in harder to reach place.

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According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) the earth is currently losing 18.7 million acres of forest per year.

There are several causes of deforestation and these causes vary depending on where in the world you are.

The most direct driver of chopping down trees is a demand for the wood itself. This might be for use in the paper industry, where world consumption of this resource has increased demand by 400% in the last 40 years. Or it could be for thousands of other uses from furniture to matchsticks.

On top of direct uses, trees are also felled to make space for other things. This includes mining for a variety of metals and minerals where huge areas of the ground are excavated. It also includes land use-change to make space for agriculture, whether that is cattle ranching or growing crops like soy and palm oil, driven by a massive increase in demand over recent decades. It is estimated that 80% of tropical deforestation is due to agriculture.

What are the effects of deforestation?

Climate Change

Trees are excellent 'carbon sinks' meaning that when they are alive they absorb more carbon dioxide than they emit. More trees alive means more carbon dioxide absorbed and therefore less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Most of us don't need reminding these days that more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere means more heat is trapped and this is causing climate change, which brings with it a host of issues that I won't go into now.

Deforestation is one of the leading contributors to climate change, with the World Resources Institute stating that if tropical deforestation were a country it would rank third just behind China and the USA!

Loss of biodiversity

Deforestation has devastating effects for wildlife and biodiversity. This could be the direct killing or injuring of animals when the industrial machinery tears the trees down. But it is mainly due to the loss of important habitat.

It is estimated that just a four square mile area of rainforest contains up to 1,500 plants, 400 bird species and 150 butterfly species. It is thought that 50% of all the worlds plants and animals live in the rainforests.

By chopping the trees down and often destroying all the habitat underneath too, this habitat is lost and anything that is not killed will move into smaller and smaller areas where competition for food is much higher leading to many more deaths.

Soil erosion

The final big environmental impact caused by deforestation is soil erosion. Without the trees extensive root systems in place to hold the soil together it is easily washed away by rain or blown away by the wind. The crops that often replace the trees such as soy or coffee don't have the same root structure as the large trees they replace.

This washing away of soil leads to pollution of rivers, which leads to the loss of fish and siltation of hydroelectric dams (amongst other impacts), flooding and serious landslides that put human life at risk.

8 Innovative Solutions to Deforestation

The key is to prevent trees being chopped down in the first place, so in this list of solutions I will start with innovations that aim to stop deforestation before it happens.

However, we must also accept that we need to re-plant a lot of the forests that have been lost and so later on in the list I will mention a few innovations that aim to help with this mission too.

1) Tracking tree cover in real time (Global Forest Watch 2.0)

Tracking tree cover as accurately as possible in real time is key to assessing the extent of deforestation and attempting to prevent it where possible.

Established in 1997 and rebooted in 2013, Global Forest Watch is a project overseen by the World Resources Institute (WRI) involving over 70 partners where the aim is to improve the availability and accessibility of global data on forests.

This open-source data can be used by people and organizations all over the world, for free, to help monitor and manage forests, spot and stop illegal logging activities and fires, defend land and resources and conduct research.

Global forest watch encapsulates the importance of transparency in how we share data in order to tackle these big global problems together.

Many case studies are popping up of the vital work done by the application including identification of the source of the Southeast Asian haze crisis in 2015 which was caused by illegal burning of forests.

2) Cloud-based land use analysis (FAO Sepal)

Similar in many ways to Global Forest Watch is the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations' (FAO) SEPAL platform.

It is a cloud based platform which allows any country to do analysis of their current forests and other land uses.

Importantly, as with Global Forest Watch, it is completely open source. It utilizes existing technology such as google satellite data, but they are purchasing higher resolution imagery to allow countries to see in even greater detail what is happening to their forests.

Being able to monitor forests at this level of detail is important as the gradual erosion from small scale agriculture and logging is often not spotted until the overall impact is huge.

3) Audio detection devices (Rainforest Connection)

Rainforest connection is a fascinating idea that looks to audio rather than visual cues to prevent illegal logging in the rainforests.

Topher White from San Francisco is a physicist who was inspired to act after a trip to Indonesia where he saw first hand the struggles the conservationists faced their from illegal logging. He saw that even the gibbon sanctuary where he was volunteering was not safe from the encroaching threat.

Taking on the silicon valley philosophy that you should utilize existing tech wherever possible, he looked to use old mobile phones combined with modern software to create a network of listening devices across the forest. The idea being that the phones already contain the microphones and GPS capability required to make really useful devices for this function.

One of the biggest challenges with the idea is ensuring the phones can maintain a charge. This means harnessing the sun's energy using solar panels. The problem is that these phones are located under the tree canopy where sunlight is often blocked by the vegetation above (most areas are in the shade 90% of the time). But with a clever design consisting of several panels mounted at different angles, Topher has managed to create a device that can retain a charge even in these conditions.

When a chainsaw or truck sound is heard by one of the devices it sends an alert notification to someone who can go and check out the activity and see what is happening.

It is currently undergoing pilot tests in Indonesia, Cameroon and Brazil.

4) Scannable powder to spray on trees (Stardust)

Knowing if logs came from a legal or illegal source can often be tricky to determine so a way to verify the origin of wood can be vital.

Stardust is a powder that is designed to be sprayed onto trees. This dust forms a layer on the wood that can subsequently be scanned to determine the origin of the logs. This can be done when the log is cut up and even when it has been made into products such as paper!

Stardust is invisible to the human eye and so doesn't ruin the end products, is non-toxic and very cheap to use.

5) Crowdsourcing apps (This is My Backyard)

Technology has arguably exacerbated many environmental problems by creating a more globalized world where we are constantly connected. However, this same tech can also hopefully provide some of the solutions as well.

Crowdsourcing uses the power of large numbers of people who now increasingly have access to technology such as the internet across the globe.

This allows initiatives such as This is My Backyard (TIMBY) to gain vast amounts of useful data from the public on detrimental activities such as illegal logging. The simple reporting app allows local people and communities to upload alerts, photos and videos from their smartphones.

This data is then collated on their investigation dashboard where it can be verified and compared with other reports from the app.

Finally, TIMBY provides a storytelling tool, important for helping create a narrative to spread the message and to facilitate action.

The technology is being used across the world by organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Oxfam.

6) Blockchain and cryptocurrency technology (Ubiquity, Earth Coin, Terra Zero)

You've probably heard of blockchain as the technology behind the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. But this technology can be utilized for other applications too.

Blockchain is a 'distributed ledger' meaning the ledger isn't held by a bank (as is the case with traditional currency) but is distributed and decentralized. This ledger is very secure and theoretically can't be tampered with and any amendment to it is kept forever and can be tracked.

So how can this technology be applied to tackle deforestation?

The idea is to use blockchain technology to make the forests more valuable intact than they are chopped down.

American start-up Ubitquity have partnered with Brazil's Estate Registry Office to get a handle on land ownership of forests and stop the problem of falsely claimed land and illegal logging. Authentic real estate ownerships can be put on the blockchain and because this can't be tampered with, it prevents issues that occur from illegally attained ownership through violence etc.

Special cryptocurrencies have even been created such as Earth token in Zimbabwe which offers local community members incentive payments in the form of cryptocurrency when they plant new trees. Using this special currency means that funding from carbon offsetting for example actually gets to the community which is often not the case with traditional money which is harder to track.

Perhaps the most interesting application of blockchain technology (in relation to preventing deforestation) is the project Terra Zero. This project takes advantage of the fact that some countries have put their land registry on the incorruptible blockchain. Because this technology is digital, it has no way of telling if an entry is for a human, a company or even forest itself. So what Terra Zero do is buy a bit of land and enter the owner of the land as the forest itself, so the forest, in theory, owns itself. This means that when a timber company is issued a license to chop down any trees, they give money to the forest owner (the forest itself) and the forest can regenerate itself.

In all these applications of the blockchain and cryptocurrency, it deals with issues around trust and lack of truthful records. With these problems solved, the potential of this technology to tackle issues around deforestation are vast.

7) Reforestation drones (Biocarbon Engineering)

As mentioned earlier in the article, we have to prevent ongoing deforestation before it is too late, but we must also accept that we need to start planting a large number of trees too.

According to the World Resources Institute (WRI) new tree planting in tropical areas can provide 23% of climate mitigation needed over the next decade to meet Paris Climate Agreement goals.

Technology can hopefully help with this process to give us a helping hand and plant the trees at a faster rate and in harder to reach places.

Drones are being used for a huge number of applications these days and UK based company Biocarbon Engineering have found a way to put the tech to use for environmental good.

The company was founded by a NASA engineer and is quite simply a drone that shoots trees into the ground.

The drone will firstly map the area of regeneration, then it will subsequently fly 2 to 3 meters above the ground shooting seedpods into the soil. These pods are filled with not just the tree seeds but all the nutrients required the tree needs to start it's life.

Biocarbon Engineering estimate this method speeds up planting by 10 times and reduces cost by up to 15%. With the company backing themselves to plant 1 billion trees a year by 2022. This is ambition you have to admire!

8) Mimicking leaf litter (Nucleario)

Bruno Rutman Pagnocelli grew up in Brazil and saw first hand the devastating deforestation that was occurring. He realized that planting and maintaining trees in remote areas such as the forests of Brazil was slow, inefficient and even dangerous in many cases. So inspired to do something innovative Bruno looked to nature for the answer.

This way of innovating is known as 'biomimicry', and is the concept of taking ideas and copying processes found in the natural world and applying that to technology and innovation.

Bruno's idea was 'Nucleario' an all-in-one reforestation solution which mimics the function of leaf litter. Natural leaf litter provides many useful functions to tree saplings such as preventing soil washing away, keeping moisture levels high and protecting from predators and invasive species.

This device cuts down on the maintenance and fertilizer requirement to get the new trees started and it also increases the success rates dramatically.

Concluding remarks

With deforestation still occurring at an alarming rate, we will need technology and innovation to help stop illegal logging, help us monitor the health of forests and to aid reforestation efforts too.

However, we shouldn't forget that we need to slow down the key drivers of deforestation in the first place. If we continue to demand palm oil in all our products, eat soy fed beef or carry on other habits that lead to deforestation we are effectively just putting a plaster on a large wound.

So whilst we must keep innovating, perhaps buying a little less new stuff, along with being more conscious of the impact of products we buy we can help slow down and hopefully reverse the trends in deforestation across the world.

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8 Innovative Solutions to Deforestation | Innovate Eco

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According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) the earth is currently losing 18.7 million acres of forest per year. There are several causes of deforestation and these causes vary depending on where in the world you are. The most direct driver of chopping down trees is a demand for the wood itself.

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Dominos has been creating different ways to bring their food to their customers. They have been successful in setting up 150,000 designated outdoor locations. Their latest innovation allows customers to order on Facebook Messenger, through an Alexa-enabled device or Google Assistant, or by simply tweeting a pizza emoji. This has helped Dominos overtake Pizza Hut last year to become the largest pizza company in the world.

https://time.com/collection/genius-companies-2018/5412499/dominos/

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The Ballot Bin
Walking past common smoking areas, there are often cigarette buds on the floors and are not disposed of properly. Some possible reasons could be that the bins are too far away or that there are no bins around  to throw their cigarette buds away.

The Ballot Bin encourages smokers to dispose their cigarette buds properly by allowing them to vote for their favourites.

There is also a chewing gum version of this ballot bin where users can stick their gum on the walls to choose which they prefer.

This is a good idea as it encourages consumers to keep their country litter free.

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UK crowdfunding network Hubbub has come up with an ingenious way to get people to douse their cigarettes without littering the streets of London. The project titled 'Neat Streets' asks people to vote on common debatable topics (eg. Who's better - Messi or Ronaldo) using their cigarette butts. Special containers were created with a question on top and two compartments, one for each answer. Check it out below.

Here's what they did for gum:

Cool, clever and innovative. Share this post using the hashtag #NeatStreets and voice your views in the comments below.

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Vote With Your Butt - Here's A Genius Idea To Stop People From Littering Cigarettes

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UK crowdfunding network Hubbub has come up with an ingenious way to get people to douse their cigarettes without littering the streets of London. The project titled 'Neat Streets' asks people to vote on common debatable topics (eg. Who's better - Messi or Ronaldo) using their cigarette butts.

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G' AY MATE

The issue of inequality for sexuality, a constant rise in the LGBTQ+ topic.

In 2017 the Australian Government held a voluntary postal survey to determine whether same-sex marriage should be made legal. It ignited a heated national conversation which, with passion spilling over on both sides of the argument, soon turned sour. If Australians truly believe that “everyone deserves a fair go” – a phrase and belief popular in Australia as g’day itself is – why weren’t we applying that belief to marriage equality?”.

I feel like Singapore should incorporate something like this or at least look into it as open as Australia does. If we do pledge ourselves as one united nation, regardless of race, language or religion, to build a democratic society based on justice and equality, why weren’t we applying that belief to marriage equality as well?
https://www.dandad.org/en/d-ad-gay-mate-case-study-insights/

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Smog Free Tower by Dutch Studio Roosegaarde

SMOG FREE PROJECT is a campaign for clean air led by Daan Roosegaarde to reduce air pollution and provide an inspirational experience of a clean future.

As we all know, air pollution is a current big issue happening in the world. It does not only harm the environment but also our health. Air pollution is attributed to 9% of deaths globally. Sure, reducing our carbon footprint may help with this issue, but it is a slow process where everyone has to give a hand in order to successfully deal with this problem.

Daan Roosegaarde came up with The SMOG FREE PROJECT which is a long term campaign for clean air in which Daan Roosegaarde and his team of experts have created the world's first smog vacuum cleaner. The 7-meter tall SMOG FREE TOWER uses patented positive ionisation technology to produce smog free air in public spaces, allowing people to breathe and experience clean air for free. It is equipped with environment-friendly technology, cleans 30.000 m3 per hour and uses a small amount of green electricity. The SMOG FREE TOWER provides a local solution for clean air such as in parks.

Maybe now we will be able to breathe cleaner air in this air polluted world of ours.

wuhan

https://www.studioroosegaarde.net/project/smog-free-tower

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Forgetting your personal belongings every time you leave a place is such a first world problem. This invention by Tile helps people to remember their stuff every time they leave a designated place.

This tiny tracker can be place on your keychains and it will alert you with notifications when you leave. It has over 14 million Smart Alerts. It has features such as recording your 30-day location history, sharing your tiles in the app with your friends and family so they can help find your things too.

https://time.com/collection/best-inventions-2019/5734558/tile-smart-alerts/

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Water shortage requires solutions to ensure that everyone in the world has access to clean drinkable water. These solutions can range from long term to immediate, which is what The Drinkable Book from WATERisLIFE is about. The Drinkable Book is the first manual that provides safe water, sanitation, and hygiene education, all in a book. Each page is a literal water filter inscribed with hygiene and sanitation education. We’re in the process of producing the book in different languages with varying teaching methods to enhance the educational aspect. The book provides the user with clean water for up to four years. WATERisLIFE has introduced a campaign to move into full production of The Drinkable Book™. With your help, we can implement the books as a part of our WASH approach, as well as make the books available for global partner distribution.

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The most important tenet of WASH is that you can't have one component without the other two. For example, if there aren't proper toilets and waste procedures (Sanitation), there's a good chance public water sources (Water) will be contaminated. In order for a community to solve their water crisis, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene must be equally present.

WATERisLIFE uses WASH as a foundation for each of our projects. Check out what we're doing to tackle Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene.

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The most important tenet of WASH is that you can't have one component without the other two. For example, if there aren't proper toilets and waste procedures (Sanitation), there's a good chance public water sources (Water) will be contaminated. In order for a community to solve their water crisis, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene must be equally present.

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IMPOSSIBLE FOODS

Impossible Foods aims to restore biodiversity and reduce the impact of climate change by transforming the global food system. To do this, we make delicious, nutritious, affordable and sustainable meat, fish and dairy from plants.

There are a variety of meat available such as Burger, Pork, and Sausage all made from plants.

https://impossiblefoods.com/

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POVERTY
One way to balance out the economic crisis between the rich and the poor is COMMUNISM.

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Plastic Pollution

Well the whole world has been using plastics daily for various purposes and researchers predict that by 2050 there would be more plastics in the ocean than fish. Despite all of our own efforts only 9% of our own plastic is being recycled. Plastic, as you all know is tough, durable, and doesn't break down. It can take anytime from 500 - 5,000 years to fully break down. These plastics when placed in land fills over time can release harmful chemicals in a form of leachate into our oceans, soil, food, water and into our bodies.

How did we end up with so much of these plastics? Well, plastic is cheap, durable, adaptable and is everywhere.

How then can we solve this problem which has been harming our own environment in a cheap, efficient way? Well, Morgan Vague, a student studying biology in Oregon has wondered if bacteria, microscopic organisms which can thrive in all sorts of diverse and extreme environments, has actually already learnt how to break down plastics. It is also estimated that our planet has over 5 million trillion trillion bacteria just around. And after a few tests, she placed bacteria found in plastic polluted areas and fed it in a carbon free environment PET plastic, which is commonly used for plastic bottles.

Soon enough a bacteria has been classified to help break down PET plastic and soon enough the by product is just carbon dioxide. The bacteria is called Deonella sakaiensis  from the genus ideonella and family Comamonadaceae capable of breaking down and consuming plastic poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) as a sole carbon and energy source.

The idea suggested behind Morgan Vague is to create a large carbon free plastic waste facility, to place plastic for these bacteria to feed on. So what takes plastic to break down in possibly thousands of years would be in a matter of a few months to years.

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Morgan Vague: These bacteria eat plastic

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Humans produce 300 million tons of new plastic each year -- yet, despite our best efforts, less than 10 percent of it ends up being recycled. Is there a better way to deal with all this waste?

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Tattoos are not bad!

In our world, undeniably, there is a negative stigma that revolves around tattoos. Though many might not admit that they have negative stereotypes against people with body art, though online surveys, there is prejudice against people with tattoos such as a large percentage of employers would avoid hiring people with visible tattoo(s). Instead of viewing tattoos as a form of self expression and representation, society links negative connotations with tattoos such as crimes and 🤬.

Solution: During world tattoo day which is on 21 March, in public spaces such as Orchard and Bugis, we will give out free temporary tattoos designed by local designers. Where everyone can adorn their skin with the designs that they like to expose to society to tattoos so that we can normalise tattoos as many of these locations are crowded and the tattoos will be on display for the public to see. Also, the process of individuals choosing their temporary tattoo and applying it on themselves, they will realise that it is simply a form of self expression which is a choice to make and that it is nothing to be scared/wary of.

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/5-stereotypes-people-with-tattoos

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Plastic Pollution

Nowadays, even recycling is not an option as only 9% of plastic is recyclable. Also every year, around 8 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the oceans. Single-use plastics account for 40 percent of the plastic produced every year. Many of these products, such as plastic bags bottles and food wrappers, have a lifespan of mere minutes to hours, yet they may persist in the environment for hundreds of years.

Reducing plastic pollution through having a Zero Waste Van. It bring the service to people like house calls/ businesses. "Refilling" daily essential products like (household staples, deodorant, toothpaste). The products they provide are cruelty free and Eco-friendly at affordable prices.

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This Zero-Waste Refill Van Should Be Everywhere

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Future of Transportation

Electric is the way of the future and Tesla is the company that's pushing electric's innovation. With the release of the Model 3, they aim to make electric vehicles more affordable for the typical driver.

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So far, about 450,000 people have each paid $1,000 to reserve a Model 3, with the waiting list for delivery stretching to over 18 months. Tesla literally can't build this thing fast enough. So the question to be answered, the only one that really matters, is whether the Model 3's biggest problem is that too many people want one. Because that's a dilemma that hasn't existed since maybe 1964, when a million people wanted the new Mustang. You know, that vaporware fad that's only been around for a half-century now.

The demand makes sense. I try to reserve judgment on any car until I drive it, but the Model 3 sure looks good on paper. Tesla claims zero-to-60 times in the fivesecond range-unofficially, the first owners are getting into the fours. The car has doublewishbone front suspension and multilink rear, an elite sports-sedan setup. Later this year, Tesla will start building the dual-motor all-wheel-drive model but for now, the Model 3 rolls with a single rearmounted motor and rear-wheel drive, giving it a little bit of a rearward weight bias (53 percent with the standard battery). You know what else is rear-engine, rear-wheel drive? The Porsche 911. That's fine company for a car that's priced like a Buick LaCrosse.

Our test car is fitted with the bigger battery, a $9,000 option that increases range from 220 miles to 310. It also has a premium interior with power-adjust heated seats ($5,000), enhanced autopilot ($5,000), and red multicoat paint ($1,000), bringing the total to around $55,000. Which, yes, is a lot more than $35,000. For my money, I'd get the enhanced autopilot to ensure my participation in the self-driving future and skip the rest.

All Model 3s are built around an utterly spare interior. There's a 15-inch touchscreen on the dash, two scroll wheels on the steering wheel, and that's about it. Via the screen, you instruct the scroll wheels what to control-the mirrors, the steering wheel tilt, stereo volume-thus eliminating a scatter of dedicated buttons that you might use only once. That decision drives down cost, as well as weight, in the form of wiring. Even the key fob is rethought, in that there isn't one: An app on your phone automatically locks and unlocks the car when you leave or approach. If your phone dies or you lend your Model 3 to a friend, a hotel-style proximity keycard unlocks and starts the car.

I put the stalk into drive, and head toward the highway. It's strange to have no instrument panel dead ahead, but I'm already used to it. I engage autopilot, hit the turn signal, and let the Model 3 change lanes by itself a few times. The autonomy is reliable and pleasantly novel, but I learn that it's more fun to do the driving myself, sandbagging in the middle lane and then mashing the throttle to revel in that gush of acceleration. With 271 horsepower, the Model 3 doesn't quite rearrange your internal organs like a Model S, but it's still ferocious. Leaving the onramp, I immediately get into a drag race with a frustrated day trader in a Mercedes S550, which the Tesla casually dusts until I back off and he goes screaming past. I take a moment to ponder what happened. I launched effortlessly, with instant torque and total traction, no gears to shift. The other guy had to spin the Benz's V-8 up to its horsepower peak, probably beyond 5,000 rpm, at which point the transmission shifted gears, the revs dropped, and it all happened again. By the time that process repeated a few times, I was halfway to my exit. In a car that costs half as much.

No, the Model 3 isn't perfect. I'd like a heads-up display, some way to put the speedometer in my line of sight. And there are some places where you can see the cost-cutting, like in the rear trunk, where there's no trim panel up top, just bare metal and cutouts for the air vent that makes the lid easier to close.

But I think I could live with such compromises. In fact, I know I can, because when I get home, I do something that I've never done with any of the other thousands of cars I've tested: I put down a deposit. I pay my $1,000 and get in line. Maybe I'm number 450,001. Maybe I'm doing this because I enjoy supporting a guy who builds rockets and shoots cars into orbit. I don't care. Because unlike almost everyone who's reserved a Model 3, I've actually driven one. I know that it'll be worth the wait. And while I wait, it makes me happy to think that sometime in 2019, I'll have the Popular Mechanics Car of the Year in my driveway.

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So far, about 450,000 people have each paid $1,000 to reserve a Model 3, with the waiting list for delivery stretching to over 18 months. Tesla literally can't build this thing fast enough. So the question to be answered, the only one that really matters, is whether the Model 3's biggest problem is that too many people want one.

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The solution to every world problem that is happening currently is A PURGE.
To eliminate the problem, we have to eliminate the cause. SO, since humans are the cause of every single world problem, we should remove humans off the earth. Let's start a purge.
Thanos was right all along.
Boo you avengers.

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Litterati
The app built on the simple idea of taking photos of litter and added some cool features such as AI which automatically identifies the brand and tags them.

So how does this tackle the plastic waste problem?

Firstly, it encourage people to pick up more pieces of litter from the ground by adding an element of fun and competitiveness to the process (you get points the more litter you pick up). Secondly, the huge amount of citizen science data can be used to take on the main offenders. They have already taken on the huge power of the tobacco industry and won in court thanks to all the data they collected on cigarette litter, and they are now turning attention to other culprits many of which are causing a lot of plastic pollution.

https://www.litterati.org/

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Lishtot -
essentially the solve for clean and safe water to be consumed around the world. This solution is a game-changer especially for less-developed or developing countries whose population may not have complete access to clean water.

"Its $50 TestDrop Pro, a patented device small and sleek enough to fit on a keychain, can tell if water is contaminated at the press of a button. It works without touching the liquid at all—instead it scans its electric field which, company scientists discovered, is different when contaminated by anything, from animal matter to chlorine to heavy metals. The device gives off a blue light if the water is safe to drink, and a red if not."

Time (2018, October 4). Lishtot: The 50 Most Genius Companies of 2018. Retrieved from https://time.com/collection/genius-companies-2018/5412664/lishtot/

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Everlane

In the last 2 decades,  we have witnessed many large-scale corporate scandals relating to unethical practices. Most of the time, production is done in developing countries and they do not have strict rules or policies for employee safety or wage regulations. Employees in these countries operate like sweatshops, which includes low wages, long working hours, poor hygiene and working conditions.
So, we have to try our best, as consumers, to promote ethical fashion. We should make it our business to know how the clothes are manufactured and if they are involved in unethical fashion production.

Everlane is a retail company trying to bring fairness into the fashion industry. They are transparent with the information about their clothes and employees who are producing them. They only partner with other ethical factories and produce clothes with the finest quality. They believe in radical transparency and shares the true costs of all the products with their customers.

I believe that as customers, we have the right to know how much our clothes truly cost and how they are made.
https://www.everlane.com/

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Impossible Foods

Producing meat for consumption is one of the industries that uses up a lot of resources and does a lot of environmental damage through that. Animal grazing and feed production uses about 80% of the world’s agricultural land and livestock now make up 60% of Earth’s mammals. More and more people are changing their diets to go meat-free and with companies like Impossible Foods coming up with alternative plant-based for people that are opting for a diet change but find it hard to give up meat.

Impossible foods engineered a plant-based substitute that uses heme—a component of an oxygen-carrying molecule also present in blood—to replicate the delicious characteristics of beef. More and more restaurants and eateries are implementing the Impossible Foods into their menus and get good feedback like, “When you bite into it there’s that fattiness that you enjoy from eating a burger, there’s that juiciness, and there’s that crispiness from the seer” chef May Chow—who cooks with Impossible products at her Hong Kong restaurants—told TIME in April.

https://time.com/collection/genius-companies-2018/5412506/impossible-foods/

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BloodNormal

It is a campaign that push back against period shame and period taboo that still exist. There are many girls and woman who are ashamed of their periods and others are freaked out and feel uncomfortable talking about periods. The campaign is to tell others that periods are normal and creating a film, showing all the areas of normal life where periods can cause uncomfortableness. The idea was to show men buying pads, women sharing pads in public, and period blood. It was crucial though that the film didn’t shock, rather it normalised. Creating a platform for discussion rather than telling them what to do. Normalising period

https://adage.com/creativity/work/blood-normal/53003

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Lishtot

lishtot tackles the problem of unsafe and contaminated water that is present in places like Flint and Michigan. Contaminated water can be dangerous when consumed in large amounts, this is especially critical to those who are unaware that the water they are consuming contaminated water. Lishtot provides a quick and easy way to identify drinkable water from contaminated water.

"a patented device small and sleek enough to fit on a keychain, can tell if water is contaminated at the press of a button. It works without touching the liquid at all—instead it scans its electric field which, company scientists discovered, is different when contaminated by anything, from animal matter to chlorine to heavy metals. The device gives off a blue light if the water is safe to drink, and a red if not."

https://time.com/collection/genius-companies-2018/5412664/lishtot/

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Zero Waste Movement
Right now in the trend of Sustainability, people are saying recycling/re-purposing your waste is not enough. What we need to be doing is going ‘zero waste’ – using up all your products or reusing them to generating no waste at all – as much as possible. It’s okay to make a little waste though, as said by zero waste chef Anne Marie Bonneau, “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.”

Some ways to go zero waste is using reusable products like your own lunchbox and utensils, or choosing to shop at bulk food stores, where you use glass jars or paper bags, and just take how much or how little you need.

Another way to incorporate it into your lifestyle is trying to go zero waste when cooking. In the video, they challenge themselves to buy and cook with ingredients that will not make waste like plastic packaging, or at least have waste that is compostable. This is not an easy thing to do as in our supermarkets, everything is wrapped in plastic packaging or some sort. However, shopping at bulk food stores or bringing your own bags for fruit and groceries is helpful ways to work around it. It certainly is an effective way to reduce waste, as we usually cook and eat 3 times a day.

I’m glad you can see stores like Fairprice encouraging you to bring you own bags, or Starbucks giving discounts if you bring your own cup, but I think this movement can be more normalized in Singapore.

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We Tried To Make A Zero Waste Chocolate Cake • Goodful

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Billboards Beyond Borders is an initiative for journalists and others whose voices have been silenced by censorship. People whose opinions led to censorship, punishment and in some cases even death. To highlight these people’s right to freedom of information and expression, and let their voices be heard, we turned to the most powerful tool for spreading information – the internet. By altering billboards in Google Street View we gained access to locations where people could never say certain things in real life without facing consequences, far beyond both borders and censorship.The messages on the billboards are only some of the statements that have led to censorship and punishment.There are thousands more, and the censorship that limits the freedom of speech is only getting stricter.

http://www.billboardsbeyondborders.com/

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#TeamTrees

What started off as a way to celebrate famously generous YouTuber MrBeast crossing the 20 million subscriber mark in June, became a movement where "the internet" took action against deforestation by crowdfunding $20 million dollars in 55 days to plant 20 million trees. #TeamTrees’ 20 million trees will absorb and store 1.6 million tons of carbon, and will remove 115,00 tons of chemical air pollution.

This movement received support from popular entertainment creators, social media influencers, space king himself Elon Musk, founders of big companies and even the Discovery Channel.

https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/12/19/mrbeast-mark-rober-youtube-teamtrees-20-million-dollars-arbor-day-foundation-elon-musk-donation/

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Fake News Stand

Columbia Journalism Review created something call the fake newsstand, which gives out free newspapers and magazines with fake headlines from the internet. Inside contains a insert that teach reader how to spot fake news and make people question what they were reading.

https://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2019/pr/230353/the-fake-news-stand/

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Reducing Food Waste by Using Food to Preserve Food

Almost half of all food grown is thrown away, and a sizeable portion of it is due to produce not meeting supermarket display standards and people keeping their fresh produce for too long till it rots.

Apeel Sciences wanted to do something about it, and their solution would come in the means of adding a layer of protection to fresh produce to ensure that it doesn't lose its freshness and appeal in between harvest and point of sale, and even after purchase. It prolongs the time it takes for the produce to overripe and eventually spoil.

Every fruit and vegetable has a "peel" that seals moisture inside of it and prevents oxygen from entering inside. It's the plant kingdom's natural defence mechanism to ensure that it doesn't dry out and rot, and Apeel makes use of this same natural materials to produce it's all natural, transparent, edible and tasteless peel. It works with nature, rather than against it.

https://apeelsciences.com/

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Unlimited stadium
World’s first full-size LED running track’. taking over an entire city block, the layout of ‘unlimited stadium’ is derived from the footprint of NIKE’s LunarEpic running shoe. the 200 meter-track, which takes the form of a figure-eight, is lined with LED screens, where up to 30 runners can take part in a virtual race against themselves.

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designboom | architecture & design magazine

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are you knowledgeable about architecture, design, art, and technology? passionate about writing, communication, and digital media? join us!

are you knowledgeable about architecture, design, art, and technology? passionate about writing, communication, and digital media? join us!

from living room seating to home complements, excellence in craftsmanship and a meticulous attention to detail are evident in every creation.

from living room seating to home complements, excellence in craftsmanship and a meticulous attention to detail are evident in every creation.

more like a silhouette than a solid block, ronan & erwan bouroullec's rope chair is a line drawing translated into three dimensions

more like a silhouette than a solid block, ronan & erwan bouroullec's rope chair is a line drawing translated into three dimensions

ando pulls inspiration from concrete, a material that 'has given buildings a unique personality' and conveys his architectural design.

ando pulls inspiration from concrete, a material that 'has given buildings a unique personality' and conveys his architectural design.

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NIKE's unlimited stadium in manila is the 'world's first LED running track'

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are you knowledgeable about architecture, design, art, and technology? passionate about writing, communication, and digital media? join us! are you knowledgeable about architecture, design, art, and technology? passionate about writing, communication, and digital media? join us! from living room seating to home complements, excellence in craftsmanship and a meticulous attention to detail are evident in every creation.

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Kromkommer

Kromkommer (a Dutch wordplay on the words cucumber and crooked) is a solution done up to save "ugly" food from ending up in the trash, but rather on someone's plate. Since 30%-50% of the food in the world is being thrown away, with that, half of the food that is wasted is actually made up by fruit and vegetables.

Kromkommer comes up with different ways for people to appreciate "ugly" food and to also inspire many others to treat "ugly" fruits and vegetables with equal rights.

https://www.kromkommer.com/english/